Like most businesses and industries in the modern economy, companies in the construction industry are also starting to recognize the importance and necessity of digital marketing in the upcoming years.
Promotion in the digital world is very important for most businesses in any industry. In this way, they can list the services or products they provide, increase their audience, brand awareness and simply put to analyze how to perform better on the market.
As the construction industry is only just adapting to digital marketing, there are various opportunities for companies and businesses to show off their creativity.
And this is especially necessary for small and medium-sized construction companies, most of which are looking to increase their online presence and gain visibility.
Any area of the construction industry can benefit from using digital marketing. It doesn’t matter if this is about building materials, engineering systems, design and architecture, or for instance various types of services, including metalworking, and so on.
In this blog article, we take a look at how to make the best out of digital marketing in construction companies.
1. Content is key to making sales
More and more companies in many industries are competing to write unique selling articles. This can be quite difficult and time-consuming for many businesses. However, in the construction industry, there are many niches and most businesses can find a unique angle that will serve their interests.
Think of a rigging firm somewhere in Europe. Potential customers are interested to know what are the problems that sellers of imported materials face when moving large loads on the spot. So, this could be one of the possible topics to write about in a blog post.
When writing about such topics, it is necessary to look into local legislation, the labor market, and personal experience in this area.
So, start blogging on your website about various similar topics. Make a plan for a couple of months ahead based on your SEO keywords. Remember that online content is not the same as print content and that in the digital world, everything is constantly changing and moving.
If you are creating a new site or updating an existing one, first of all, take the time to research the competitors. You need to do this to better understand how your brand differs from competitors and how these differences are best presented.
When filling up your website, also be sure to focus on including your prices and offers, since any construction project starts and ends with budgeting.
2. Social selling is the best selling
After you establish a website for your company, the next step is to engage in social selling. This means advertising your products and services on social networks. Additionally, you can also increase your audience and find potential customers.
LinkedIn is one of the most underrated lead generation platforms when it comes to the construction industry. However, this social network can be used both as a traditional one and as a networking platform. For marketers, this suggests that LinkedIn can now be used to expand target audiences.
LinkedIn is a good addition to your website and Facebook page, but keep in mind that it is better to transfer the posting of long texts to another platform. Post small useful content, update your status and write clearly and concisely.
Here, you can also find groups with your topic of interest and take part in various discussions that could lead to sales and increased revenue for your business.
Ask questions in the communities and do not neglect the comments of the members of these communities. Readers won’t show up overnight, but once they find great content, they’ll stay with you.
According to a recent study, 82% of consumers say they listen to the opinions of micro leaders. This has huge implications for digital marketing. Therefore, if needed, you can research how influencers can help your business grow.
Influencer marketing is a relatively new way of promoting products and services through influencers. For example, thanks to this method, you can attract any celebrity to advertise a construction store.
By working with opinion micro leaders, you can quickly recoup your investment. A micro-influencer is anyone with an audience of 10,000 to 150,000 Instagram followers. In the construction industry, unlike the film and fashion industries, only a few people can be considered as mega-influencers. That’s not a bad thing, because marketers are just starting to explore the topic of how people react to influencers.
Partnerships are also a good channel for promotion and can lead to long-term, beneficial relationships. Use reciprocal mailings on partner databases, hold joint conferences and seminars, share experience and unite to search for new construction projects. Use all possible ways to get more people to know about your brand.
3. Multichannel presence
When it comes to digital marketing in construction, there are many specifics. Some channels work better, some don’t work at all, or require a special approach.
The sales department takes the first place of honor among the promotion channels. The best channel for promoting a B2B business in construction is your sales department.
The extent to which managers can build relationships with clients, bring the deal to completion, maintain customer loyalty for future orders – often determines the success of the entire business.
The second place belongs to contextual advertising, and the third place goes to email marketing.
Targeting takes up the fourth place, but only through its gradual development across your databases.
B2C is the supply of building materials, the provision of services for end customers. Classic digital marketing works best here.
Of the tools for lead generation in B2C, contextual and targeted advertising is the most effective; email marketing can be used to “warm up” potential leads.
The role of social networks in construction is very important, both in B2C and B2B. Also, social networks help to form customer confidence. In social networks for B2C, it is very important to work well with reviews.
Video content also works great, for instance on Youtube. The ability for the audience to witness the process of work and the quality of services increases conversion and organic traffic.
Organizing seminars and webinars for sophisticated products are also a great tool for attracting new customers.
This is where a personal contact between the client and the company happens, during which you can clarify questions and be convinced of the expertise. Once customers understand the specifics of your company, they will start trusting you.
4. Comprehensibility and simplicity
When it comes to your content, it should be concise and clear, with lots of multimedia that can make the article more appealing.
Even very complex construction equipment can be described clearly, succinctly, and understandably.
Don’t try to be too smart with design – if years ago, super minimalistic landing pages worked, now the trend is reversed, as the most understandable, informative sites are the ones that perform the best.
Find out what makes you different and tell about it on the site. If you don’t know, ask your customers why they choose you, and you will get to learn a lot of interesting things.
Your differences should be well presented and visible on your website. Try to ensure that all content, both text and visual, is involved in the display of the company’s unique selling proposal. In turn, customers will remember you and afterward return to your brand.
5. Building a database
Modern marketing is based on databases. It is becoming more and more expensive to attract new clients, especially in construction.
In practice, working with an existing client and maintaining his loyalty is sometimes ten times more profitable than spending the budget on attracting a new one.
Before you start actively advertising, take care of the CRM system. It will help manage sales and become the main tool for the company’s marketers.
You can directly send mailings from the CRM system, configure chatbots, and create audiences in it. You will see the entire history of how a customer interacts with the company, and later on this can help you with contextual advertising, utilizing the various info that you have about your audience.
In this way, your contact base will grow, and at some point, you will be able to create effective campaigns for your audience.
Conclusion
Be aware that the days of marketing miracles are over. Nowadays, the results are achieved by those who launch the promotion of their business in stages, gradually connecting and conquering each channel.
However, the competition is fierce and it will take time to adjust your content to each channel. This is day-to-day hard work, but it can provide your brand with targeted applications and stability.
Therefore, do not rush. Take it to step by step, but with a clear goal. Aim to follow these recommendations for making the best use of promotion channels in the construction industry.
Always keep the database in mind, as all marketing is built on it. And don’t do anything blindly. There should be minimal digital marketing strategy for construction companies and tactics. Make at least a formalized marketing plan describing what channels you will use, what budgets you plan to spend, and how many responses you will receive from each channel.
While the plan won’t always be accurate, you can build upon it, compare facts, and find your brand’s strengths and weaknesses.
